Meet in the Middle
by Normryl
Summary: A quick follow up piece. Enjoy. Daryl finds himself alone after the prison falls. One shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **_Meet in the Middle_  
**Summary:** Daryl finds himself alone after the prison falls.  
**Notes:** I saw a gif set on tumblr of _Marina Abramovic meeting Ulay_ and it was a beautiful thing that touched me. Of course, I then thought 'I must turn this into fanfiction. ;)  
One shot.

* * *

They lost the prison.

A long time ago now. At nights he could still hear Rick's voice, screaming out his name as the gunshots fired out and Rick and the others fled.  
He didn't know who made it. It was chaos. And he got pinned down as parts of the prison caved in.

He didn't know if he'd make it. But he did know if he called for Rick, he'd damn well try and Rick just _had _to make it. He had the baby, Carl, whoever made it from the group. They couldn't all die for him.

So he stayed quiet and waited until it was quiet and he started to make his way from the rumble, slowly, painfully.

His leg was fucked. It hurt to walk. Every damn step hurt.

And he knew he made the right call to let the others go without him.

The walkers must have followed after the cars that left and he found his crossbow abandoned on the side of the road. He imagined Rick holding on to it, just hoping he'd emerge. And when he hadn't, Rick would have left it, just in case.

Just as well.

So Daryl had got to the first car he could and driven his way out of there.

They'd not seriously talked about life beyond the prison, so Daryl had no direction to head in. No way to try and meet up with the group.

He was alone.

He didn't stray far at first. He stuck to the car, making sure he kept close by the car until he could move around better on foot.

And by the time he was healed enough, it was getting late into winter. The days were hard and the nights bitter and harsh. And he struggled. Alone. No one to help with anything.  
No one to share the load, the burden. And he missed the group. Missed their company, their help.  
And he couldn't find anything to kill to eat. So he went without until he found a run down, abandoned house. He didn't even look at what was in the tins he found, he just ate.

By the time he wandered into the small settlement, he had little choice but to hope they accepted him.

And he was lucky that the people within were kind.

He got cleaned up and was shown where the people in the town would eat. Told to come over and join them for food when he was ready. And one of the ladies told him she'd find him once he'd eaten and get him a place for the night.

He wasn't sure if that was an long as he was welcome to stay but he didn't mind. Even one night was better than nothing.

He opened the door and slipped quietly and unseen into the building. And surprisingly, there was maybe close to a hundred people inside. And the sound of chatter and laughter filled the air.

The smell of food hit him and his stomach growled.

There was a table on the far wall where people were helping to hand out food to people and he went to head over but he froze in place.

A table where one woman sat alone.

He might recognise her anywhere, but suddenly, he was unsure of himself. Could it really be her. She looked down at the table, absently lost in her own world, not even aware of him. But he couldn't see anything else all of a sudden.  
And he knew it was her. There was no doubt. He made his way towards the table, weaving in and out of people until he was just a few feet away. She still didn't notice him. Not even as he approached the table and sat down in front of her.

Maybe because she expected people to join her at the table, she didn't immediately look up.

So he waited for her to notice him. Didn't draw her attention to him, didn't do anything but wait. Did nothing but relish her presence.

And when she did look up her eye lit up, and that kind, warm smile spread across her lips slowly.

And Daryl felt uncomfortable, shifted a little under her gaze, as comforting and welcoming as it was. He stretched his still healing leg a little, as though the pain was back from all those weeks ago.

She didn't say anything. She swallowed hard, the lump rising in her throat and her eyes glistened as the tears started to collect.

And then he let out a deep breath. Of relief and happiness that at least somebody he knew and loved made it. That was something he couldn't quite believe.

He shook his head a little.

And then, with her eyes ready to spill the tears she was trying to blink back, she silently reached across the table with both hands for him. And he didn't hesitate to reach for hers. And he smiled, as she did too at their unbelievable luck in finding one another again.

It felt good to have her right there, to know she was real and solid beneath his hands. And then her grip lessened as she slid her hands away from him back across the table.

And the smile left his face as he looked to her, slight unease on his face as though he wasn't sure what he might have done wrong.

But she smiled at him warmly and then a hand clasped onto his shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I don't feel the story needed anything more, but I wrote this and decided to post it anyway.

* * *

Daryl slept. Deeply and for hours.

Carol sat on the bed beside him, her hand on his arm, thumb rubbing gently back and forward.

Rick sat on the chair by the door, just thinking things through. How damn lucky they were to find him again in this world.

He felt slightly lighter now the weight lifted from his shoulders, seeing this man again, in their fold, but then the guilt took hold.

And as he watched him sleeping, noticed how much leaner he was. When he'd first seen him, Rick had wanted to ask him how he'd survived and where he'd been, what had happened, but he could see the man's exhaustion, his hunger.

And so they'd bought him food, and told him their story. Where they had been and how they had survived.

Then Alma came to them, seeking Daryl. Told him she'd found a place he could rest. And the others thanked her, but insisted they had room with them. He was part of their group.

And before he knew it, Carol was leading Daryl back. Back to their home here. Rick followed them, leaving the others to get their food.

And the place was small but self contained enough that it worked for the group. There were only two double beds and they took turns, rotating nightly. There was a crib for Judith.

And Daryl's composure crumbled a little at that, because Beth hadn't been there with the others, she'd been with Judith changing her and of course Daryl had noticed she was missing but he never said a word and with their joy at finding Daryl again, they never thought to tell him otherwise.

And Rick had to look away as Daryl did his best to keep check of his emotions. Then Carol was moving Daryl towards one of the beds and he was letting her because he needed too. Needed to rest and to let go.

And once he was sleeping, she told Rick she wouldn't allow him to wake up alone and he should go and eat. So he did and then he went back. He took back a small bowl of leftovers for Daryl for when he woke up.

In his mind, Rick just kept berating himself._ I should have gone back, I should have looked harder for him, I should never have given up on him..._

His mistakes kept piling up, along with the bodies of those that he loved and he just knew he had to be thankful that this time, nobody was dead.

Soon enough, Carol carefully slipped off the bed and went for food herself. And Daryl stirred, woke. But he stayed still and unmoving until he heard the door close.

His eyes opened and he quickly located Rick. They hadn't left him. He sat up.

And he took in his surroundings, once he knew he wasn't alone. The way the room seemed to be filled with cupboards and make-shift shelves, and everything in the room seemed crammed in.

And once he finished, Rick passed the bowl of food to him. A simple shrug, an apology. He knew it wasn't much. And Daryl nodded, a flicker of a smile touching his lips as he quickly devoured the food.

And when Rick reached for the bowl, to remove it, Daryl grabbed his wrist instead. And Daryl's fingers grasped Rick, like he was searching for something and Rick was watching Daryl's hand move over his wrist, at first unclear about what he was doing. And then when Daryl's fingers reached round enough, when they were underneath Rick's thumb, he knew.

His pulse.

Reassuring himself because he didn't quite dare to really believe it still.

And from Daryl's other hand, Rick took the bowl he still held and placed it to one side, before he sat in the same spot Carol had just left, Daryl still holding onto him.

And he sat beside him, shoulders touching.

Not speaking a word.


	3. Chapter 3

When he slept, he dreamt.

That weird world he'd belonged to for a short time where there was nothing but him.

Everything he's known and loved was gone and he faced it alone.

If he was the type to marvel and self preservation, he maybe would have been impressed at how he lasted. But in the end, survival was all he knew.

He was a light sleeper, always had been and he stirred several times either from noises around him or from a dream. but every time he woke, he'd see one of the group nearby, or hear their whispered words, trying to be quieter now they'd woken him or he'd feel one of them beside him, sometimes a hand on his arm while he rested, trying to help sooth him back to sleep, and despite it all, despite everything he was and had been before this new world, he relished it.

So he'd let his body rest again and return to his unconscious bliss.

Unaware of how many hours he'd really slept.

Unknowing to the worry he caused the others by his constant sleeping state.

He was dreaming again.

Of a day back at the prison, a day that never happened.

He was in the old cell block with Hershel when they heard the gunshots from outside.

And when Daryl looked, he saw an army of men storming them. More men than The Governor had ever gathered.

And they had one way out. But when he looked back to Hershel he was sat in the cell, cradling Judith in his arms. His crutches were nowhere to be seen.

And Carl and Beth looked to him like the kids they should have still been, fear and terror in their eyes and waiting for him to lead them. And when he tried, they refused to leave their Father and sister behind. But Hershel couldn't move. Refused to even get up.

And whatever he tried to say to make the man move, he ignored as he cooed down at the baby in his arms as Daryl heard the sounds of the men outside getting closer. And before he knew it, he fled without them, heard their screams as the men got to them. Heard the footsteps chasing him down.

He woke up with a gasp, eyes still blurry from sleep.

And for the first time, he thought he had woken alone.

He couldn't see anyone. But he recognised the room, and he knew it was late in the evening and maybe the others were eating.

But then he heard the creaking of a chair out of sight from where he lay and Hershel hobbled over towards him.

It appeared they were the only two in the room right now, and Hershel confirmed it as he sat heavily on the bed Daryl lay in. He felt a sense of guilt flash through him, wondering how long he'd been laying in that bed, making the others sleep elsewhere.

As if sensing some unease, Hershel told him how they were looking to get a larger room somewhere in the compound. Told him about an old building that was in bad shape but the group had been working to clear it out over the last couple of days and hopefully they'd get some more space soon.

Daryl nodded and sighed, eyes heavy.

He barely registered Hershel's hand brushing against his forehead. Found he didn't really mind it at all.

Daryl muttered something about getting up but Hershel informed him he wouldn't be allowing that.

And Daryl's expression changed to one that matched his inner turmoil, as Daryl's unease started to well up inside of him. What exactly was wrong with him? Why was he so exhausted and why were the others keeping an eye on him and Daryl's fear spilled out and the words were leaving his mouth before he could stop them.

Hershel settled a hand on Daryl's chest and his calming words worked wonders on Daryl's frayed nerves. Everything would be fine, he told him. He's body was pushed and it needed time to recover.

And despite the tiredness, Daryl sat himself up a little and Hershel passed him a glass of water. He drank from it greedily, parched.

And then the door to the room opened slowly as Beth walked in, Judith in her arms.

She smiled at the pair as she closed the door behind her.

The child in her arms was looking sleepy and Beth had been aiming to put her in her cot.

But something stopped her. Something about the look on Daryl's face, the way her Father had a hand on the younger man's arm and she headed towards them.

She leant over her father carefully holding out the baby and Daryl didn't hesitate to take her.

His dream came back to him, fresh in his mind as the majority of people he'd left to be slaughtered in it remained in the room with him. Very much alive.

The screams echoing in his head started to fade as he held Judith a little tighter in his arms.

He missed the warmth from holding her, and she snuggled into him, gurgling happily and content.

He didn't notice Hershel leave his side, he was so engrossed in watching Judith as she slept.

And slowly the other started to filter though. Back into the room they all shared.

And he didn't notice them either.

Judith was the last thing he saw before he drifted back to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

She didn't want to leave him.

She hadn't strayed far from him in days. And he hadn't gone far himself. Between eating and sleeping he seemed to do little else. But Hershel wasn't concerned and that eased the others.

It was when he was sleeping, while she ran her hands through his rather matted, still rather greasy hair that she noticed it.

She'd seen it on Ed a few times. A red blotch on Daryl's skin, just hidden under the collar of his shirt.

She peeled the material away slightly. Saw the black body in the centre or the red mark and knew straight away it was a tick.

She was quick in retrieving the items she needed from Hershel's kit and settled back down beside Daryl.

She felt his body stiffen with tension when she gently wiped an alcohol soaked cloth over the redness.

She soothed him by reassuring him with what she was doing, and felt some of the tension ease from him. She dealt with the tick with practised ease and quickly discarded it, washing her hands before she returned to him.

"I'm gross," his voice croaked, lack of use affecting it. But his lip quirked up slightly in one corner and she couldn't help smile back at him.

"Did I hurt you?"

He shook his head, sat up. And for the first time, he looked around the room. Really took notice of where he was.

"The new place looks a lot better. More space for us all, but we're all together still."

"Show me?"

She nodded.

* * *

"How's it going?" Carol asked, entering the room where almost all of the group would be.

Beth had Judith off somewhere else, where the younger children could interact, but everyone else was here. "Wow," Carol said as she saw how much work they'd done since she last saw the area.

If the others noticed Daryl, they didn't make a big deal about it.

The room was three times gibber than the last one they shared. And they'd managed to make some dividers up so that they all could have a little privacy when they wanted.

"It's pretty much finishing touches," Glenn said.

"Just need the crib over here," Rick said, looking at his own side of the room. "We could move in today."

Rick looked to the others, because Daryl wasn't to know that he was the reason they had been holding off moving out, not wanting to disturb him too quickly. A few nods and it was decided.

The others cleared out leaving Rick, Daryl and Hershel remaining in the room.

"You're over here," Rick said, walking across to the corner of the room, Daryl and Hershel following behind.

The corner section they'd set up for him was pretty much the same as all the other sections. Except there was a window close to the bed. Rick looked slightly awkwardly down to his feet as he motioned to the bed closest to Daryl's own. "Carl kinda insisted being next to your bed."

Daryl just smiled slightly. He noticed that the area where Rick had motioned earlier for the crib to go was next to Carl's section of the room, so he guessed Rick was keeping himself close to the boy to make sure he behaved.

Daryl went over to his bed and sat down.

"You're okay?" Hershel asked, gently.

Daryl nodded sitting up. "Everyone made it."

Hershel nodded. "The only one we thought we lost was you."

"We tried..." Rick started.

"I know," Daryl cut him off quickly. "I heard you."

"Why didn't you call out?" Rick asked.

Daryl shrugged. "My leg was pinned down and I didn't know how bad it was. I didn't want you come back for me if you couldn't get me out. Someone had to survive."

"I... it killed me thinking we'd lost you." Rick started. Was going to say more before Hershel interrupted.

"We all made it. That's all that matters." Hershel said. Daryl didn't need Rick laying his own feelings of guilt onto him right now. He had plenty of his own baggage. Hershel would make sure he spoke to Rick later about it. "You should get some rest," he then told Daryl.

Daryl looked beat, but resisted Hershel's words. "Ain't done nothin' but sleep," he said.

"You can spare a couple more days. Then I'll drag you out of bed myself."

Daryl smiled fully at that and Rick did too. A slight feeling of normality coming to him. The door opened as Glenn and Maggie carried the crib between them.

Beth behind them, muttering to Judith about her new home.

And while they all started filtering in, bringing their belongings from one place to another, Rick and Hershel drifted over to help and Daryl laid back on the bed.

He'd earned this. Two more days to get his shit together and then he'd be ready to help again.

He watched the group for a while, just enjoying their banter, they way they worked together, bringing back those early nights on the road together before the prison.

Soon, his eyelids were heavy and he turned away from them, ready to sleep.

And as he did, he saw underneath the window, Rick had propped up Daryl's crossbow for him.

Left it there for him, just like he had done at the roadside.

And he slept to the sound of his family around him.


End file.
